Tengo que caminar al mercado cerca de la panadería.

I have to walk to the market near the bakery.

Breakdown of Tengo que caminar al mercado cerca de la panadería.

• yo: I
• la: the
• caminar: to walk
• el: the
• a: to
• el mercado: the market
• cerca de: near
• tener que: to have to
• la panadería: the bakery

Questions & Answers about Tengo que caminar al mercado cerca de la panadería.

Why do we say Tengo que instead of just Tengo?

In Spanish, Tengo by itself simply means I have, while Tengo que means I have to or I must. Adding que introduces the sense of obligation or necessity.

Why is it caminar al mercado rather than caminar el mercado?

Generally, when you go to or head somewhere in Spanish, you use the preposition a. Because mercado is masculine and singular, a + el merges to form al. So caminar al mercado literally means to walk to the market.

What does cerca de mean, and why is la panadería included after it?

Cerca de means near in English. When you say cerca de la panadería, you’re specifying that the market is located near the bakery, providing a reference point for its location.

Could I say Tengo que ir al mercado instead of Tengo que caminar al mercado?

Yes. Tengo que ir al mercado means I have to go to the market. It’s a more general way to express that you need to go there, regardless of the mode of transportation. Tengo que caminar al mercado specifically highlights that you have to walk.

Is cerca ever used by itself, or do we always need de?

You can use cerca alone as an adverb (for example, El mercado está cerca – The market is nearby), but when you want to specify near what, you add de plus the place or reference point: El mercado está cerca de la panadería.